Admission to the Program

In addition to the general requirements of the University, specific requirements for admission to the graduate programs in Behavioral Science are:

1. An applicant must have earned a baccalaureate degree in psychology or a closely related health care profession from and accredited institution of Higher Education.

A bachelors degree in another field may be offered if the following undergraduate course work has been completed: Introduction to Psychology; Social Psychology; Learning Theories; Marriage and Family; Personality Theories; Abnormal Psychology. Applicants who do not meet the course work prerequisite may be required to complete all or some of the prerequisite courses. The final decision rests with the admissions committee.

The Master of Science Degree Program in Psychology Degree Program is a self-paced learning program, which may be completed totally off campus. Study programs are not structured in semesters, quarters or terms, allowing students to begin their degree programs at any time during the year.

The Master of Science Degree Program in Psychology degree programs requires students to satisfy 30 Semester Units (10 core courses) in Behavioral Studies plus an additional 9 units for a total of 39 semester units.

Core Courses
Course descriptions for the Graduate Psychology program may be found by following this link: Graduate Behavioral Science Course Descriptions

PSY 501 Developmental Psychology PSY 503 Human Sexuality PSY 505 Psychopathology PSY 509 Theories of Marriage and Family PSY 511 Professional Ethics and the Law PSY 525 Counseling Systems and Techniques PSY 527 Assessment Techniques PSY 540 Physiological Psychology PSY 560 Clinical Psychology GRM 697 The Research Process

Using one of the options shown below, nine additional units must be completed:

Option 1 (9 units)
The Masters Candidate may develop a Masters Thesis under the faculty guidance.

Proposal for the Masters Thesis (3 units) The Masters Thesis (6 units)

Or

Option 2 (9 units)
Satisfy the following 3 courses

Alcohol/Chemical Substance Abuse Psychology of Aging Group Psychotherapy

Course work requirements may be satisfied in the following ways.

Transfer of Credit Previously completed graduate courses may be transferred to the University to meet existing course work requirements. Transfer Credit is limited to 6 semester units of credit. Challenge Examinations During the admissions process, all non-collegiate experience is reviewed to determine if an applicant has sufficient occupational experience to warrant taking a Challenge Examination in lieu of complete the Study Guide for a particular course. An applicant may be offered an opportunity to complete a Challenge Examination if the candidate's occupational expertise appears to be comparable to the objectives identified for a particular course. Successfully passing a Challenge Examination will demonstrate an acceptable level of competence for that course. If a student does not pass a Challenge Examination they are assigned a Study Guide for completion. Additional detail on Challenge Examinations may be found by following this link: Challenge Exams Study Guides California Coast University has developed comprehensive Study Guides for each course that are designed to coordinate and sequence the learning materials for the student. Study Guides are based on specific college level textbooks, which may be obtained from local bookstores, the publisher, or the University's lending library which is available by telephone, fax, e-mail or online via Coast Connection. Study Guides are organized in such a way that students receive a complete syllabus for each course along with instructional materials, which guide students chapter by chapter through the corresponding textbook. Each Study Guide contains an overview and summary of each textbook chapter, along with a listing of important keywords (with definitions) and self-tests (with answers) on key points. Each of those items is referenced back to the specific learning objectives for the chapter, which allow the student to easily understand concepts or theories presented in that particular chapter. Study Guides contain 4 "Unit" tests equally spaced throughout the instructional materials, a brief writing assignment and the Final Examination. Examinations are designed to test the student on the preceding chapters. All tests are un-timed and may be completed as open book tests. Additional information on Study Guides may be found by following this link: Study Guides Proctored Final Examinations The Master of Science in Psychology Degree Program requires that a proctor administer the final examinations. All tests are un-timed and may be completed as open book tests. The purpose of the proctored examination is to verify that you are, in fact, the person who enrolled in the course of study. During proctored examinations, you may use your course textbook, and any notes that you have taken during the completion of your Study Guide. The student selects the Proctor. A proctor can be any responsible person who is not a family member. (Such as your Minister, Rabbi, a co-worker, librarian, etc) Additional information on Proctored Examinations may be found by following this link: Proctored Examinations